I hope you can see the new photo, it's me last night wearing sunglasses to stop the glare of the 70 candles!   A wonderful night, good friends and lots of love all around.   Hubby suffering from a chest infection still picked us up and I was tucked up by 1 am.   Jean kept directing him left when I knew we should have turned right (she's left handed and gets them muddled up) so every time I tried to correct her I was told to be quiet as Jean knew where she lived needless to say we had an interesting journey home!  I have felt so loved this last fortnight it's been a joy.  So I'm catching up on Coronation Street and eating chocolate.   I was going to have cake but we asked the restaurant to cut twelve slices to serve us and they cut the whole cake meaning we ended up with enormous slices on our plate!  Mis communication between us and Italian waiters.  I hope you are all doing well.  Love Carol xx 

Happy Birthday for yesterday Carol.  Hope it was a wonderful day.  It certainly sounds like it was.  So many wonderful gifts, 2 nights out, and wonderful friends and family to celebrate with you.  Dracula sounds great.  Great effect to have rain failling at the end.  Hope that Faye managed to get her front door lock fixed, this day and age you can't just leave your fron door unlocked, but I remember when youj could. .Love that you all got big slices of cake, although it was a shame you couldn't have any later, although I'm sure the chocolate makes up for that,  You did make it home after your mixed up directions and interesting hourney home.  They didn't really have 70 candles of your cake did they?  Did they have a few lighting the candles, as they first would have been burning a while nefore the last had been lit.But we can make out the photo, 

I've had a quiet day today after a busy day yesterday.  I caught up with Bree and we had lunch at a lovely little cafe/wine bar.  Really lovely food.  Then I went and had the mammogram.  then once that was done I caught up with my girlfriend who had cooked tea for us both.  Got home really late and went to bed.  

Hope everyone is doing well.

Love to all and take care.  Sue xxx

Just to clarify there were not seventy candles, I think the fire alarm may have gone off!  Just the number 70 was lit courtesy of my lovely daughter Fayes contribution. Xx

Sounds like a wonderful few days/weeks Carol!!  Am I right in thinking there is more to come?  Enjoy x  Very cool photo!!

We've had a quiet few days here, Dave actually drove for the first time in a couple of months so that's a step forward.  We had a phone call from good friends tonight (from Cornwall) - good to hear from them and Dave spoke for so long (mainly about rugby and Man U...) and his voice got back to normal!  His voice has sounded strange over the past few weeks.  

Hope everyone is doing ok.

Julie xx

That's sounding positive Julie, Norman loved talking to his mates it's difficult having only women around you all the time, they need some man cave time with men!!  Norman is not well but won't let me get a GP, he's self diagnosing and says it's a virus on his chest.  I am leaving early tomorrow morning for London, but it's just the day, I've just seen my neighbour and he said he'll take me but Norman will not let that happen as he's too stubborn.   I doctored the photo, I didn't really have sunglasses on in the restaurant! !  So I hope Dave gets stronger for his operation,  you're obviously doing a brilliant job,  trust me I know how hard it is to get them to certain stages, so we'll done Julie,  you should be proud of yourself.   Carol xx

I'm up at 5.45 am as hubby is coughing badly, , I made him tea and gave him an ibuprofen and asked if I could call the GP.  So basically it's like talking to an elephant , no,no ,no.  I'm so cross I shut both bedroom doors, lay right over the other side of the bed and fall asleep until 8.30.  I go out to drag the recycling out with bed head hair, pyjamas and a dressing gown and my neighbour calls happy birthday as he never saw me on Wednesday .  I tell him hubby is not well and he offers to drive me tomorrow morning,  I tell hubby and I can see the relief on his face.  Faye calls to say, wear comfy shoes, don't bring to much and wear a cross body bag to be safe, having reached my dotage I need looking after.     I don't have a cross body bag, I live in the North East, we sling our bags over our shoulders!  So I begrudgingly drive to TK Maxx  (you know me well, this is not a chore!).   Ten minutes later I have a bag and my bossy daughter will be happy .  I've just had a catastrophe,  the bedroom stank of vick and sick people so I flung the window open wide,  he's going to freeze to death as I can't shut it!  Kill or cure was my Mother's motto, it must have rubbed off on me.  So girls I hope you are all coping with what life has thrown at you,  I'll let you know how my weekend goes.  Love Carol xx 

So after an 18 hour day and seven of them on a slow boat to China (supposedly LNERservice) seven hours sleep I'm up as hubby is not well and is not going with me today for the Remembrance Day wreath laying and lunch. My lovely neighbour took me for the early train yesterday in his brand new Mercedes a so at least the first part of my journey was in style! I met Gordy  and Faye at King's Cross and Ella's face was a joy when she saw me, we had forgotten that the RUGBY! LORD MAYORS SHOW AND REMEMBRANCE SERVICE! We're all on so got taxi to the Lyceum and met Lisa at the restaurant.. The weather was gorgeous and lunch with all my favourite people made me happy. By two we had to walk to the theatre and Ella broke her heart that she had to go home. Lion Kong was spell binding and we had plastic glasses of champagne! All our plans went out the window when we left as the weather had turned to monsoon mode whilst we were inside. I have never  been so wet in my life, it was horrendous and so busy, traffic jammed, horns honking ambulances trying to get round the traffic jams, Covent Garden was a wash out and we dived in to the M & M store, basically three floors of sweets, expensive T shirts, and rubbish goods. By seven we went to get a tube back and every entrance was blocked due to water and congestion so we weren't allowed access, So we walked all the way to Oxford Street in the rain and that was jammed as well, I was panicking by now as I only had half an hour to get my train home. So a taxi was hailed and I explained to the lovely guy what my problem was about getting home and it turned out his 77 year old DAD has lung cancer so he got me there with ten minutes to spare!! The train home ran out of alcohol, the hot urn broke down our carriage door was jammed half way across so it was freezing, my mac was so soaked  I had to take it off and I had no food, but I'm here to tell the tale, Hubby is dog rough and glad to have me home, next time I'm missing London out!! Take care all of you, Carol xx

I didn't have time to write yesterday.   I was up and out again for the special REMEMBRANCE Sunday lunch that hubby had arranged for us to attend despite my being so busy that week, he then managed to miss it because he was still unwell.  This self diagnosed cold has now been ten days of illness, him shouting at me as his ears are blocked again, so what with tiredness and him yelling at me (not intentionally ) my head was pounding!  Anyway the lunch was marvellous and we had our own veteran aged 99 years old who lives in the village and had suffered many trials during his many years of service,  he was also the only survivor of his ship that had been sunk delivering goods to Russia.  A rousing sing song by us all, waving flags and belting out all the old wartime songs.  We had a singer who told us stories of her Uncle  who aged 38 years volunteered to go to fight, leaving a wife and seven children behind .  He was killed and apparently every Friday night she sent for a jug of ale, got drunk and toasted him in anger, allowing each child to throw something at his photo!  She felt betrayed and so this lady  (his neice) had composed a song titled "Whose the hero now".  It was heart breaking but showed the other side of war and death.   So I arrive home and he's asleep in the conservatory and not the least bit interested in what has happened.   I'm cross with him this morning because this cough could have been handled better and has put more pressure on me.  He thinks he's being stoical,  I think he's being stupid and I know whose right!  He keeps asking me what is wrong,  last time I told him he got cross with my reply,  this time I'm keeping quiet!  I haven't heard from some of you for a few days, so I hope you are all OK.  Love to you all.x

Hi Carol. Gosh what a busy life you have. London sounded awful busy and what a shame the weather broke for you. Glad you got home safely. Sorry hubby not well again. It’s worry worry it seems. I’m really worried about this latest lump on my back. It’s gone bigger and weeping but I suppose the others all did that including the last benign one. Dr at haematology knows about it and I am seeing him on the 27 th Nov. Taking that he dident ask to see me urgently am trying to be positive. Praying that it is another benign one. Have you started Christmas shopping yet? I’ve done quite a bit on line but can’t get into the mood yet. Going out with Cathy my daughter tomorrow. Hope it will take my mind off it all.  Lots of love to all the girls on here. Hope you are all coping with life. Hugs to all xxx